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I have created some new custom BBcode that enables you to easily post a link to a product on Amazon using the ASIN (Amazon Store Inventory Number).

The most useful part about this new feature is that it enables even new users to post links to book. To prevent spam, users cannot post links or URLs until they have 10 posts AND have been registered for at least 7 days. Any attempt will automatically be blocked. Luckily new users can still use the Amazon BBcode tags to create links. While usually there is no need to post links especially for a new user, there are some exceptions such as when a person needs to identify which version of a book they intend to refer. In any case, I am glad to offer the ability for even new users to post links to books on Amazon.

How to Post Links to Amazon

First you need to get the ASIN number. This is 10 digit alphanumeric (mostly numbers) string that you can find in the URL of the detail or product page of the book or item. As far as I know, it is always in the dynamic part of the URL, i.e. it is always before the question mark in the URL if there is a question mark. In the case of the book, it is usually the old 10-digit ISBN number of the book. For instance, if I go to Amazon and search for 1984 in books, the first thing that comes up is the 2003 release of Nineteen Eighty-Four by Deckle Edge in Paperback. Clicking on that brings me to the page of the book at the following URL:

Basically, you can put whatever text you want between the opening tag and closing tag; whatever text you put between the tags will be linked to the item specified by ASIN in the opening tag. Note, you need to put in a correct ASIN for it to work properly.

Any Questions or problems?

If you have any trouble using these BBcodes, encounter any errors, can't figure it out or just need help, please post a reply in this topic or send me a PM explaining the issue with as much detail as possible.

Thanks!
Scott

"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau

That's awesome news!! But just to clarify one thing. Amazon uses a SKU or AISN which is usually the book's ISBN number (International Standard Book Number). We at bookcloseouts.com use the ISBN which can be a 13 or 10 digit number.

i.e.

ISBN-13: 9780736924313
ISBN-10: 0736924310

Using either the 13 or 10 will work in a link as we reference both on the site.

The letter represents whether it is a bargain book or a scratch and dent copy. Some you will see with the letter "S" at the end. I don't believe the letters are necessary. But I'm going to link one here to test without the letter -

I don't mind links to Amazon per se. But spam is disallowed. If a new poster joins the forum and in their first post is already posting links--even just to Amazon, I agree that I would be very suspicious by that simple fact that the post is spam. If I or any of the other moderators feel it is spam, it will be deleted. I assume that is what StephenKingman meant in that post.

However, I was inspired to add this linking option for even new users--who are usually blocked from posting links at all--after one contacting me with the following problem: She says that she has just joined to discuss a specific book, but she needs to refer to a specific version of the book by the same title and the only she thought to try that was by linking to the specific version. If that is true, then I do not think that would be spam linking to the book as a way to demonstrate which of version of a book one is referring. I also think most spammers want to link to their own site or at least to a site different than Amazon, so isolating these people to just those links seems to make sense to me. If someone is spamming an item on Amazon, it will probably be a book of which they are the author a paid promoter. In such a case, removing their ability to link to it will not stop them from spamming it as they won't mind just mentioning the title in the hopes you go to a site like Amazon and buy it yourself. And spam without a live link is still spam.

"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau

Update: I have modified the bbCode tags to also enable linking to the homepage of Amazon and BookCloseOuts by putting the word home in place of the ASIN/SKU. To link to the homepages of these websites one could use the following code:

I have also created a block for any new links made to Amazon or BookCloseOuts without using the BBcode. Requiring posters to use the BBcode will give me more immediate moderation oversight over such links. For instance, I can now easily block any and all links to any single item on Amazon. For instance, if someone joins and spams the forums with links to their book, I can now easily block and all BBcode links past and present made by anyone from going to that book. In addition to blocking spam, this will greatly discourage spam since I doubt any book promoters authors would want their book to be blacklisted.

In fact, the new features I have been working on to create this automatic blocking will be a great discouragement to spam because I can now in a matter of seconds blacklist any website I wish and nobody will be able to submit any post that contains a link to that site.

"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau